Sweet Blue Days
by Elfbrat18
Summary: When you're away from the distractions of everday life, you begin to ask yourself questions. What am I doing here? What's my purpose in life? Three people on the beach of a fastpaced lifestyle learn why. Oneshot fic.


**Elfbrat18: This was a contest entry for another site and I thought, why not post it here?**

**Whistler: Yeah, no big warnings here, but please let us know what you think about this one while we work on the other fics.**

**Sweet Blue Days**

The smell of the salty ocean sea brought back memories. For one, riding the waves aboard a ghost ship, for another, gliding across the waves of blue atop a surfboard. Three people out to enjoy what life brings them, two of those three searching for a meaning in their life.

It was still early in the morning, but the blazing rays of sun paid no mind to this as they shone against the waters' reflection. Sailors stretched and yawned waking with the sounds of seagulls crying in the sky. The captain, a shabby looking man with long dark hair in beads, braids, and other things, swaggered to the sway of the boat and stopped by the wheel. He squnited his eyes at the sunlight and winced, feeling a headache coming on. Another man, though not as grundgy looking, came up to the captain's left. His hair was also long and slightly messy from the current breeze. "We're approaching land soon," he stated, glancing at the captain.

"Aye, that we are. Make sure that we have a boat prepared." And the captain left the other to ready a boat to go ashore.

* * *

On the white beaches of the island, a small woman could be seen lugging a large surfboard and a beach bag. This was her favorite spot on the beach, mainly because rarely anyone came this far away from the local shops or vending trollies. She preferred the quiet over the hectic. Her dark skin was proof enough that she was an inhabitant of this island, and her bleach blond hair was a given that she also liked to surf. It was her way of relaxing, watching the water pass by all around her. As she set the beach bag down and carried her board to the edge of the sea, she had a feeling that something would be different about today.

* * *

The captain and the second in command, so to speak, were rowing against the large dips of the ocean's waves in a small row boat. The captain had a telescope and was peering around for any sign of civilians, and the other was rowing. "Aye, Will! Take a look at this and tell me what yah see?" The captain said, thrusting the object into Will's hands, who nearly dropped the oars. "Jack, I don't see-" he started, but stopped short when Jack guided the lens into the direction he was originally gazing. "Now what do yeh see?" The captain Jack asked again.

Will swallowed and thought. He couldn't find words to describe the odd sight before them. A girl was kneeling on a board that she was paddling furiously with her hands towards a large wave. But what surprised him more was what she was wearing, or wasn't wearing. It was some sort of tight clothing that barely covered her. He also observed that she was now turning around with her back facing the large mass of water and began to stand, wobbling slightly as she found her balance. They continued to watch the girl move across the water with such ease it seemed unreal. "What is she doing?" Will heard Jack say. He was about to respond when Jack cupped his hands over his mouth and shouted to the girl, and watched in slow motion as the girl lost her balance at the sudden outcry and fell into the water. Without so much as a warning, he grabbed the oars and began to row in the direction that she had fallen.

* * *

"Hello! Are you alright?" Will called, frantically looking around. Jack was about to shout again when a sudden splash of water startled both of them. It was the girl. They watched helplessly as she thrashed about for her board and clung to it, eventually coming to ease herself onto its surface. "Whoever did that is sooo gonna pay!" She snarled, then proceeded to cough up more saltwater. Hearing the clearing of someone's throat she turned her head to find the two men in the rowboat.

"Who are you?" She asked in a mixture of fury and nervousness. She nodded her head towards the shore, asking them to follow her.

Once ashore, she had dried off with a towel and throw on some dark jean capris. She learnd that their names were Captain Jack Sparrow, as he corrected her when she repeated it, and Will Turner of the Black Pearl. At first she thought they were crazy until she squinted her eyes against the sun, now at its highest point of the day, and seen the ship. Sparrow was a pirate, not the greatest she discovered but well known nonetheless, and that Turner was a blacksmith that had fallen for the governor's daughter. Jack and Will came to find out her name was Loki, an inhabitant on the island called Kauai, a place that centers traditions around family. She was only seventeen and about to graduate from high school in the upcoming weeks.

* * *

As the hours of the day continued to roll on by, so did the countless white clouds that slowly drifted along. The three continued to talk, finding a sense of security and friendship within their new acquaintance. It wasn't long before the subject at hand turned to Loki's board.

"Do you mind if I ask what that thing was you were doing, love?" Jack said, taking a sig of the liquor that he brought with them.

Loki motioned to the board standing not far behind her. "You mean this? It's my surfboard. My parents got it for me when I was little and my brother taught me how to surf." The board had shown little wear through the years. It was clear that Loki had treasured this dearly. It was Caribbean blue with white hibiscus flowers and a small skull and crossbones at the end.

"Is that what it is? Surfing." Will asked, recalling the way she moved over the water. "Do you fall a lot?"

Loki laughed. "Sometimes, especially when I lose myself in the moment, like I did back there. For me, surfing is relaxing. Some people relax watching the water. I like to be out on it." She proceeded to shrug off their apologies, telling them that it happens to the best of surfers. They seemed interested in her surfboard, and they seemed almost eager when she asked, "Would you like to ride out with me on it?"

* * *

Loki had them take off their shoes and any other items of clothing that they either didn't want to lose or get wet. Since Loki could only take one of them out at a time, the two agreed that Will should go first. Jack was going to stay and watch them while he tried to sober up.

Will and Loki had waded out waist high into the water. As Loki steadied the board, she gave Will instructions. "Just listen to what I tell you and you'll be fine. First off, climb on the board and sit on your knees. I'll get in front of you and just follow my lead. When I stand, you can either stand or stay crouched, it's entirely up to you. But try to stay balanced, that's important." Loki climbed on in front of Will and began paddling. Just like before she turned the board so that they were gliding with the wave. Loki began to rise to her feet and steady herself when she felt Will's hands rest on her shoulders. She looked over her shoulder at him to make sure he was alright. He seemed fine, but determined not to let her lose her balance because of him.

* * *

As they made up on the shore moments later, Jack came swaying up to them. "That was bloody brilliant!" Loki looked from Jack to Will with a look that questioned Jack's level of soberness. "He'll be fine. This is normal for him." Will muttered. Loki looked at Jack again and couldn't help but laugh as he took her board and waded into the water and tried to stand on it. "Hang on Jack! You can't do that until you get going!" She laughed, running to him. Will sighed and shook his head in amusement. He took as seat on the sand and watched as Loki and Jack stumbled to stand up on the board at last. He staggered more than usual, and Will began to think that they might fall, but Loki had managed to keep them balanced. At least until they slowed down; then they fell.

* * *

Loki couldn't stop laughing. She had never met anyone like these two and now she was glad that she had. It's not like she didn't have friends, she did, but she felt a closer bond with these two men. Jack had not wanted to try that again anytime soon. Will was taken in by the new activity, and Loki had let him use her board to practice more. She could see that he had potential as she watched with Jack from the shore. They continued to talk and stumbled onto an unstable subject. "You mentioned earlier that yeh had a brother. What happened to him, love?" Jack asked.

Pausing, Loki sighed, fighting back tears. "He...he died a few years ago. Got into a surfing accident. They never found his body." Jack looked shocked for once. Her brother had died doing this sort of thing and she still went out. "I'm sorry to hear that, love. But why do you do this then? If your brother died because of it?"

"Because he wouldn't want me to stop." Loki answered. "Like anything else, surfing is a risk. Like my brother once said, 'Insist upon yourself, never imitate.' That's what I do. I strive to be different. And from what I've heard about you, you follow this path as well." she finished, looking at the pirate captain seriously. "No one knows when there time is up, so it's best to strive to be your best with the time that you have given to you. That's what my brother did, and that is what I will continue to do until the day I am placed in the earth."

Jack took this to heart and mulled over Loki's words. Maybe that was why he was feeling restless lately? He needed to find something that made him happy. Will was already happy. He had Elizabeth. They were going to marry in months to come, and what did he have? A ship and crew. There had to be something else? A yearn for adventure? His thoughts were interrupted as Will came back in, Loki's board under arm.

* * *

Loki was absorbed with something in her hands and didn't notice Will until he sat down beside her. "What is that?" he asked. She slightly jumped at his words. "Oh! This? This is just a necklace that I have. I got the chain for my birthday one year, and since then I have hung different little trinkets that I find meaningful onto it. Let's see, there's a polished green stone my mom gave me, a few seashells, some odds and ends, things like that."

Jack looked over at the assortment she held in her hands and a thought struck him. He reached into his hat, which he had taken off to store his smaller belongings and pistol when he went surfing, and pulled out a ring. It was silver and had a rope designed band that held a black stone. "Loki, I want yeh to have this. It was from an old friend of mine that passed away many, many years ago. He said to give it to the lass that stole my heart, and I want to give it to yeh. Granted it's not in the way he was talking about, but yeh remind me much of him and how he thought of life. I'm sure he wouldn't mind."

He placed the ring in Loki's hand and closed her fingers around it. Will took her other hand and placed within it a small medallion. "This was mine when I was a lad. I was told to give it to my younger sister, but my mother died before that happened. Since the moment we met, I've felt like I had to protect you, like your brother did when you were younger." The medallion had a small inscription that read, 'Seek the wisdom of the ages, but look at the world through the eyes of a child.'

Loki looked at these and looped them on her necklace. "Thank you both. That's very sweet, even though we barely know each other. I know you'll be leaving soon, and I want to give you both something to remember me by as well." She reached over and grabbed her bag, pulling out a small velvet pouch. She reached inside it and pulled out two pendants on black cord, a white fang and a silver fang. Loki gave the silver one to Jack and the white one to Will. "These were something I made on a rainy day a few weeks ago. They were a lot of work to make, but out of the ten, these two and the one around my neck," she motioned to the black, silver, and white swirled one, "are the best." They thanked her and slipped them around their necks.

The sun was slowly sinking behind the horizon and only then it occurred to Loki what time it was. "Oh man, I need to get home! I totally lost track of time!" She scrambled to collect her things and was about to leave before she turned around. "Will you be alright? I can see if you can come to my place for the night?" They shook their heads, telling her that they would be fine camping under the stars. Loki bid them goodnight and left, feeling dreadful.

* * *

As the sun came out early the next morning, Loki grabbed her bag and board and rushed through town, heading to the spot where she met Jack and Will. She dropped to her knees and slowed her breathing, and found a note tucked away in the empty bottle from the day before. It was from Jack and Will. An apology for having to say goodbye in such a way and that they would never forget her. She didn't notice the tears that silently fell down her cheeks as she watch the ship disappear forever. "Goodbye Captain Jack Sparrow. Goodbye Will Turner. Maybe one day we will meet again."

* * *

The Black Pearl was unusually quiet. Jack and Will boarded without so much a word and no one questioned them. Will was staring off into the ocean. Jack was at the wheel, looking at his compass and thinking. _'Insist upon yourself, never imitate.' "No one knows when there time is up, so it's best to strive to be your best with the time that you have given to you..."_

Jack snapped the compass shut. "Sweet blue days...show me that horizon. For I seek adventure."

The End

**Elfbrat18: Okay then, another one-shot!**

**Whistler: Let us know what you think! Please review!**


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